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He Played Where?!Volume Five
Tim Lincecum, Angels
The Freak. One of my all-time favorite nicknames. So simple, but effective. Baseball Reference also lists ‘Big Time Timmy Jim’ as a nickname, something I hadn’t heard until just now.
Lincecum had a remarkable and successful run with the Giants. After an impressive debut season in 2007, he won back-to-back Cy Young awards in 2008 and 2009, becoming the first pitcher to win the award in his first two full seasons. In 2010 he was instrumental in bringing the first of three World Series titles to San Francisco that decade. After another All-Star campaign in 2011, the wheels came off for Lincecum beginning in 2012. It was a shocking turn of events for someone who seemed destined for the Hall of Fame. Though there were some glimmers of hope, most notably no-hitters in 2013 and 2014, Big Time Timmy Jim was overall a shell of his formerly dominant self. In what were supposed to be his prime years, the Freak found himself in a sharp decline, marked by poor performance, diminished velocity, and injuries. His ten seasons with the Giants came to an end when he hit free agency after the 2015 season.
Lincecum spent the offseason unsigned while he recuperated from hip surgery. After a heavily-attended 2016 showcase to prove he still could shove post-surgery, he signed a one-year, $2.5 million deal with the Los Angeles Angels on May 20. After three Triple-A starts with the Salt Lake Bees, he was called up to the majors. He made his Halos debut on June 18, tossing a quality start en route to a win against the A’s in Oakland.
And then, it was all downhill from there. He got completely shelled the rest of the year, and was designated for assignment after an August 5 pummeling by the Mariners:
After going unclaimed, he returned to Triple-A, where he alternated good and bad starts over four games to close out the season. A sad fall from grace for someone who defied the odds and was really fun to watch.
Postscript
Much like learning that King Felix gave it one more go with the Orioles in 2021, while writing this piece, I learned that Lincecum did the same. After sitting out the entire 2017 season, he gave it one last push in 2018. Wait for it…
The Rangers signed Lincecum to a minor-league pact on March 7, 2018, which would pay him $1 million if he made the club. This time around, he was trying his hand in the bullpen, to see if his stuff would fare better in shorter stints. After a blister issue held him out of action for nearly two months, he finally made his debut as a reliever on May 7. Over 10 games and 12.2 innings, Lincecum allowed 14 hits, 8 earned runs, 9 walks, finishing with a 5.68 ERA and 1.82 WHIP for Triple-A Round Rock. The Freak was on a short leash, and was released on June 5th, 2018, ending one of the most dramatic rise-and-fall careers in recent baseball history without much fanfare.